Fishing, in general, is a rapidly expanding sport and every year more fishermen are converting from bait and spinning to fly-fishing. Fly-fishing offers more of a sport experience than a hunting experience. In fact, many fly fishermen try to avoid harming the hooked fish and return them to the water. Only fish that are so injured that they could not survive in the water are not returned. Not only is skill required in the hooking of fish but many fly fishermen tie their own flies.
The insects which the fish feed upon vary with changes in season, weather, time of day and geographic location. For these reasons and also for reasons of individual preference or whim of the fisherman, the number and variety of patterns and forms of artificial fishing flies carried in the tackle box by an individual fisherman can be extensive. Each fly fisherman carries a plurality of artificial flies in a variety of patterns and forms and each fisherman has his own preference and will argue vehemently about the merits of his favorite artificial fly. As a result, the tying of fishing flies has developed into a considerable business and native art form.
In tying fishing flies, various tools are used and among these is a bobbin-type tool having a pair of flexible legs formed to retain a spool of thread and having a hollow tubular member projecting forwardly from the juncture of the legs. Thread from the spool is passed through the tubular member which is used to feed the thread to a desired location when wrapping feathers, bits of cloth, etc., to secure these items to the hook in a desired manner. To tie the thread off, a knot-positioning tool is used having a forwardly-facing conical barrel with an open cavity. The thread is wrapped around the forward end of the barrel to form a knot. The cavity in the end of the tool is then placed on the eye of the hook and the knot is slid off the tool onto the hook. The thread is then severed, loose ends are trimmed off and the fishing fly is completed. Since fish hooks come in a variety of sizes, it has been necessary to provide a plurality of knot-positioning tools each sized to receive the eye of each different sized fish hook.
Furthermore, in order to switch from the bobbin to the knot-tying tool, it has been necessary to use both hands to operate the bobbin and the knot-tying tool. This requires manual dexterity and coordination and requires substantial experience to attain the necessary skill. Moreover, it is difficult to estimate the precise amount of thread needed to form and position the knot. Therefore, considerable thread is wasted or the knot is not positioned correctly or is not tight enough to hold the fly together.